Winners in their aperture matches, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo will ambition a additional achievement that would defended accomplishment for the knockout date back they accommodated in their additional Accumulation D accoutrement at the Grand Stade de Tanger on 27 December. Kick-off is at 16h00 bounded time (15h00 GMT).
This will be the third affair amid Senegal and DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations finals. Their aboriginal AFCON appointment came in 1968 in their final accumulation match, back DR Congo won 2–1 to beforehand to the semi-finals alongside Ghana. DR Congo would go on to lift the AFCON appellation that year.
Their best contempo AFCON affair was in the quarter-finals of the 2002 edition, back Senegal won 2–0 acknowledgment to goals from Salif Diao in the 30th minute and El Hadji Diouf in the 86th minute. Senegal went on to ability their aboriginal AFCON final in 2002, finishing runners-up to Cameroon.
Overall, this is the 11th affair amid the two nations. Senegal accept won six matches, DR Congo two, with two draws. Senegal are best in their aftermost eight affairs with DR Congo (W6 D2). DR Congo aftermost defeated Senegal in a affable all-embracing in 1969, a 4–0 victory.
The two abandon best afresh met in condoning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The aboriginal match, played in Senegal on 6 June 2024, concluded in a 1–1 draw, with Ismaïla Sarr putting Senegal advanced in first-half abeyance time afore Fiston Mayele equalised in the 85th minute.
Their additional affair in World Cup condoning took abode in Kinshasa on 9 September 2025 and concluded in a 3–2 win for Senegal. Cédric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa had accustomed DR Congo a 2–0 advance afore goals from Pape Gueye (39’), Nicolas Jackson (53’) and Pape Matar Sarr (87’) completed the comeback. Senegal able for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while DR Congo are still gluttonous accomplishment via an intercontinental play-off.
Senegal arch drillmaster Pape Thiaw was additionally in allegation back Senegal defeated DR Congo 3–0 in the accumulation date of the 2022 TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship, a clash Senegal went on to win. As a player, Thiaw was an bare acting at the 2002 AFCON quarter-final win over DR Congo.
PAST MEETINGS
OVERALL Senegal: P10 W6 D2 L2 GF18 GA12 GD 6 DR Congo: P10 W2 D2 L6 GF12 GA18 GD-6
AFCON ONLY Senegal: P2 W1 D0 L1 GF3 GA2 GD 1 DR Congo: P2 W1 D0 L1 GF2 GA3 GD-1
PAST AFCON MEETINGS 16 January, 1968, Accumulation B DR Congo 2 (Kudumu, Tshimanga pen) Senegal 1 (Diouck)
04 February, 2002, Quarter-final Senegal 2 (Diao 30’, Diouf 86’) DR Congo 0
Senegal – Key Statistics
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Senegal recorded the joint-biggest win of the aperture annular with a 3–0 achievement over Botswana.
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They accept won their aperture bout in anniversary of their aftermost six AFCON appearances, equalling their longest such run (also amid 1976 and 1988).
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Senegal are best in their aftermost eight AFCON group-stage matches (W6 D2).
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This equals their longest best run in AFCON accumulation matches, ahead accomplished amid 2000 and 2006 (W5 D3).
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That antecedent run concluded with a defeat to Ghana in their additional accumulation bout in 2006.
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Senegal’s aftermost group-stage defeat came in their additional bout of the 2019 clash adjoin Algeria.
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They are best in their additional accumulation bout in the aftermost two AFCON tournaments, assault Cameroon in 2023 and cartoon with Zimbabwe in 2021.
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They aftermost absent their additional accumulation bout in 2019, a 1–0 defeat to closing champions Algeria.
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The aftermost two teams to defeat Senegal in their additional accumulation match, Zambia in 2012 and Algeria in 2019, went on to win the AFCON title.
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Senegal accept opened an AFCON with a win followed by a accident in their additional bout on four occasions: 1994, 2000, 2006 and 2019.
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On the aftermost two occasions (2006 and 2019), Senegal accomplished at atomic the semi-finals admitting accident their additional match.
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Senegal accept started AFCON tournaments with alternating wins on four antecedent occasions: 1986, 2002, 2017 and 2023.
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They won their aperture two matches at the 2023 copy adjoin Gambia and Cameroon.
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Senegal are best in their aftermost 12 AFCON matches in accessible comedy (W8 D4).
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Their aftermost open-play defeat at AFCON was adjoin Algeria in the 2019 final.
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Senegal registered 17 shots on ambition adjoin Botswana, the best by any aggregation in a distinct bout at AFCON 2025 and the accomplished on almanac at the tournament.
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Sadio Mané attempted nine shots adjoin Botswana, with six on target, the best by any amateur in the aperture round.
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Idrissa Gueye attempted 116 passes and completed 106 adjoin Botswana, the best by any amateur in the match.
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The apple-pie area adjoin Botswana was Senegal’s 10th in their aftermost 13 AFCON accumulation matches.
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Nicolas Jackson has denticulate six goals in his aftermost bristles starts for Senegal in all competitions, afterwards scoring already in his aboriginal 10 starts.
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Jackson became the additional Senegalese amateur in assumption to account a brace in an AFCON aperture match, afterward Lamine Camara adjoin Gambia in 2023.
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Senegal accept denticulate in anniversary of their aftermost bristles AFCON matches and will be aiming to extend that run to six.
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Cheikh Ndiaye’s goal, Senegal’s third adjoin Botswana, was their 90th ambition at AFCON finals.
DR Congo – Key Statistics
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DR Congo opened their attack with a 1–0 achievement over Benin.
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Théo Bongonda denticulate the acceptable goal, which was DR Congo’s 95th at AFCON finals.
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DR Congo accept won two of their aftermost four AFCON aperture matches (D1 L1), afterwards acceptable aloof one of their antecedent six openers (D3 L2).
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They accept progressed to the knockout date on every break they accept won their aperture bout at AFCON, including during their title-winning campaigns in 1968 and 1974.
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DR Congo accept continued their best run in AFCON accumulation matches to bristles (W2 D3).
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They aftermost won their aperture bout in 2019, acquisition Uganda, but again absent their additional accumulation bout to hosts Egypt.
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DR Congo accept not won their additional accumulation bout at AFCON back 1996, back they defeated Liberia 2–0, declining to do so in their aftermost 11 clash appearances.
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They accept never started an AFCON with alternating wins, including in their title-winning tournaments in 1968 and 1974.
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In 1968, they defeated Congo 3–0 afore accident 2–1 to Ghana, again exhausted Senegal in their final accumulation match.
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In 1974, they exhausted Guinea 2–1, absent 2–1 to Congo, and again defeated Mauritius 4–1.
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Each of DR Congo’s aftermost two goals at AFCON has been denticulate by players age-old 30 or over: Arthur Masuaku (30 years, 87 days) in 2023 and Théo Bongonda (30 years, 33 days) in this tournament. None of their antecedent 28 AFCON goals had been denticulate by players in their thirties.
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Masuaku has been complex in a ambition in two of his aftermost three AFCON appearances, scoring already and accouterment one assist.
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DR Congo had 40% control adjoin Benin.
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They completed 224 passes adjoin Benin, compared to 380 by their opponents.